Robert Carter Nicholas (January 10, 1787 – December 24, 1856) was a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
from
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. He was a veteran of the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
, and also served as
Secretary of State of Louisiana
The secretary of state of Louisiana (french: Secrétaire d'État de la Louisiane) is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created ...
and Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.
Early life and education
Born in
Hanover, Virginia
Hanover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hanover County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat and is located at the junction of U.S. Route 301 and State Route 54 south of the Pamunkey River. While his ...
, on January 10, 1787, he was the son of Revolutionary war veteran and politician
George Nicholas (1754–1799) and his wife Mary (Smith) Nicholas (d. 1806). and the grandson of
Robert Carter Nicholas (1728–1780)., and named for his late grandfather
Robert Carter Nicholas, Sr.
In 1816 and 1817 Nicholas attended the
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
in
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...
.
Military service
Nicholas joined the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
in 1808, receiving a commission as a
Captain in the
7th Infantry Regiment.
Nicholas was promoted to
major in
3rd Infantry Regiment in 1810 and became
Lieutenant Colonel of the
1st Infantry Regiment in 1812. He served with his regiment in the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
, including combat at the
Battle of Chippewa
The Battle of Chippawa, also known as the Battle of Chippewa, was a victory for the United States Army in the War of 1812, during its invasion on July 5, 1814, of the British Empire's colony of Upper Canada along the Niagara River. This battle ...
. After serving with the
30th Infantry, in 1814 he was promoted to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
, and he commanded the
8th Infantry Regiment until resigning his commission in 1819.
Career
After his military service, Nicholas relocated to
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, and in 1821 received an appointment as U.S. Indian Agent to the
Chickasaw Nation
The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in the United States. They are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, original ...
.
Nicholas later moved to
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, where he owned a
sugarcane plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
in
Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish ( ; French: ''Paroisse de Terrebonne'') is a parish located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 111,860, and 110,461 in 2019. In 2020, its population declined to 109,58 ...
while residing in
St. James Parish. He operated that plantation using enslaved labor. In the last federal census in his lifetime, Nicholas owned 236 enslaved people.
Nicholas was elected as a
Jacksonian (later a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
) to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator-elect
Charles E.A. Gayarre
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...
, and served from January 13, 1836, to March 3, 1841.
He was
Secretary of State of Louisiana
The secretary of state of Louisiana (french: Secrétaire d'État de la Louisiane) is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana and serves as the head of the Louisiana Department of State. The position was created ...
in 1845. From 1849 to 1853 he was Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.
Death and legacy
Nicholas died in Terrebonne Parish on December 24, 1856. He was originally buried at his plantation, and later moved to the Burthe family vault at
Saint Louis Cemetery
Saint Louis Cemetery (french: Cimetière Saint-Louis, es, Cementerio de San Luis) is the name of three Catholic cemeteries in New Orleans, Louisiana. Most of the graves are above-ground vaults constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Cemete ...
No. 1,
.
Personal life
He married Susan Adelaide Vinson, and their children included a daughter, Mary. Mary Nicholas was the wife of Frederick George Burthe.
Nicholas was a nephew of
John Nicholas, a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from Virginia and
Wilson Cary Nicholas
Wilson Cary Nicholas (January 31, 1761October 10, 1820) was an American politician who served in the U.S. Senate from 1799 to 1804 and was the 19th Governor of Virginia from 1814 to 1816.
Early life
Nicholas was born in Williamsburg in the C ...
, a Senator from Virginia.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Robert
1787 births
1856 deaths
People from Hanover County, Virginia
People from St. James Parish, Louisiana
United States Army colonels
United States Army personnel of the War of 1812
Democratic Party United States senators from Louisiana
Secretaries of State of Louisiana
Louisiana State Superintendents of Education
Robert Carter Nicholas 2
American planters
College of William & Mary alumni
Louisiana Jacksonians
Louisiana Democrats
Burials in Louisiana
Educators from Louisiana